Heart to Heart
by ThePrimeOne
Summary: A What-If fic, where Kota and Eri to run into each other at U.A and make a promise to each other. Takes place at the end of Chapter 184 of the manga. Rated T for an obscene amount of swearing on Bakugo and a little Kota's end.


An air of awkward silence had settled in amongst the small murmurings of Class 1-A as the JP Hero Billboard Chart TV event began to wrap up. Some of the class looked between Todoroki and Tokoyami for fairly obvious reasons, though the tension many thought would be present seemed to evaporate fairly quickly.

"Just watch me, huh?" Mina mumbled, wrapping her arms around the present she had taken off Yawara Chatora, AKA Tiger's hands when the Pussycats had arrived. "I guess you can't get much better than that especially after Hawks' little speech."

Tokoyami sighed; remembering how grating it was to deal with what he thought was Hawks' rather eccentric personality. Ironic coming from him, but still a rather awkward endeavor to look back on in spite of how grateful he was whenever Hawks' gave him occasional advice.

"As I'm sure you can tell, Hawks is… an enigma, if I'm quite frank. How he managed to climb his way to the top with a such an oddball attitude eludes me, but he is good at what he does," Tokoyami drawled on.

"Are you sure he didn't take you on because you both have the bird thing going on…?" Kaminari asked, earning a rapid stab of headphone jacks from Jirou.

"Kaminari!" Jirou gasped with an annoyed expression on her face. "Think before you speak dammit!"

Amused, Tokoyami watched the two argue back and forth like an old married couple and sighed. "No, it's fine. That's more or less the reason why he brought me on. I'm still grateful for the little experience out in the field I got, though."

One of the Pussycats, Ryuko Tsuchikawa, Pixie-Bob smiled at Class 1-A's youthful energy, Ashido passing out the paw shaped buns that they were gifted. "The more experience you have out in the field as a student, the further you are along to becoming an excellent hero, _especially_ if you can get internships with anyone within the top 10; though I'm sure you all recognize that."

"Hey, thanks for the paw shaped buns!" Ashido exclaimed, the rest of the class echoing her thanks. Passing them back the box with a few leftover buns, Ashido sheepishly smiled.

"WHERE THE FUCK IS MY CANDY APPLE?!" came a loud screech from the nearby kitchen.

"K-Kacchan, wait! Don't destroy the container, Sato's cakes are in there!"

Sato, evidently panicked, ran into the kitchen to assist Midoriya.

"PISS OFF DEKU! AND YOU! THIS CAKE NEEDS MORE MILK, FIX THAT SHIT NEXT TIME!"

"M-milk?! R-right!"

The room Pussycats and Class 1-A went silent, Bakugo's voice echoing the common area before storming out of the kitchen and rapidly mashing on the elevator's 'Up' button and entering it.

In an attempt to prevent and awkward silences, "Would you guys like the rest? We've all had our fill," the pink girl said, letting Ryuko take the box from her. Looking to her fellow teammates, she handed them the last of the buns until there was one left.

"Hey, Kota! Come and get some food!" Ryuko exclaimed, totally expecting Kota to come scurrying alongside her at the mere mention of food.

But there was nothing.

"Kota?" Shino Sosaki, AKA Mandalay called out, turning around to scout him out. Tomoko Shiretoko, AKA Ragdoll, followed after her, as they investigated every inch of the common area floor from the kitchens to the bathrooms. The duo walked back into the main area, the leader frowning in confusion.

"Mandalay?" Midoriya called out, looking at the group in concern. Noticing the door to the building's entrance had been left open just ever so slightly, she frowned, realizing what he was going to ask.

"Did you happen to leave the door open when you came in? Because if you did, well, I'm sure you know what I'm getting at."

Mandalay sighed, noticing Kota's shoes no longer being where they once were, near the front door. "Oh no… Kota, where did you go…?" 

* * *

Spinning the candy apple he held in his hands, Kota walked along the grassy path up from the path; his face flushed as deep a red as his shoes, recalling what Mandalay had said about his particular choice of shoe colour in front of his now idol hero. Shaking off the embarrassing thoughts, Kota began to pick at the wrapping around the candy apple freezing in his tracks as he approached a particular building near the end of the long line of dormitories.

"Eri? Are you feeling alright?" a feminine voice spoke out

"Eri?" Kota mumbled in wonder.

"Um… I'm fine. I want to sit on my own for a little bit if that's okay."

There was a small sigh from the other voice. "Well, if you need anything, make sure you come to us, okay? And don't go wandering out on your own, Mr. Aizawa is going to come by and pick you up, okay?"

"Mhm," came a mumbled reply, the front door to the building creaking as it closed shut.

Kota blinked, looking up at the sky in thought. _"Aizawa…? That's the name of the scruffy old guy who was carrying me in the forest after Deku. So he must be one of the teachers here eat UA… huh. Maybe I should turn back, I don't want to disturb this 'Eri' person, especially if that old guy has to pick them up,"_ Kota grimly thought what kind of punishment would be in store for anyone who pissed the gruff man off.

Kota sighed and looked down, suddenly becoming aware of another person, much his age standing in front of him. In a split second he saw her, he swore his heart skipped a beat, his face flushing red as the girl with pigtails inched closer towards him, with drool dripping down the side of her mouth.

Kota froze, unsure of what to do.

"Um… are you going to eat that?" the girl, who he figured out to be 'Eri,' asked innocently staring at the candy apple she held in her hand. Kota blinked and looked down at the candy apple he stole from the kitchen in Class 1-A's dormitory.

"Y-yeah, I was going to. Why?" Kota asked, suddenly feeling a pang of guilt as the girl before Kota suddenly became deflated and looked to the floor, kicking it lightly.

"Ah, nothing," she quickly said.

Kota frowned looking at the girl, somehow oblivious to the drool that had escaped her mouth. "Hey, um, Eri, you have some drool on your face, just saying," Kota quickly said, Eri blinking at him in confusion before quickly running her arm across her mouth.

"Thanks," she whispered, turning back from him and sitting on the ledge near the front entrance. Kota looked down at the candy apple, then back at Eri. Sighing in embarrassment, he walked up to the girl and held out the candy apple towards her.

"Here. Eat it."

Eri blinked in surprise, looking up at Kota, whose face flushed red and looked away when they made eye contact. Taking it carefully from his hands, she took apart the wrapper and set the wrapper aside her and began munching on the candy apple.

Kota watched her face light up with a large grin that almost blinded him with how bright it was.

"Cute…"

"Hm? Did you say something…?" Eri asked, Kota profusely shaking his head in an instant.

"N-no, I didn't, um…"

"You can sit next to me if you want," Eri said, scooting over and making room for Kota to sit next to her. Kota blinked at looked between the free spot and Eri who tilted her head at him.

"Well?"

"Right sorry," Kota mumbled, quickly sitting next to her. Kota quickly began cursing himself in his head, trying to think of a way to make conversation. Thankfully, Eri came to the rescue.

"I've never had another kid to talk to, so it's nice to make a friend who's like me," Eri began looking at Kota. "My name is Eri."

"Y-yeah, I know. I heard that other girl say your name before," Kota responded with a quick nod. "My name is Kota. Kota Izumi."

"Kota," Eri said looking up in thought before repeating his name. "Kota. I like it," Eri concluded, giggling a little at the speechless Kota.

"O-oh, that's nice."

The two sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity, only the sound of crickets and Eri enjoying her candy apple audible amongst the silence. "So, um, what you said before," Kota began, gaining Eri's attention. "You said that you've never had another kid to talk to before, have you never had a friend before?"

Eri stopped eating her candy apple and frowned, recalling certain events of the past. "Yeah. I've never had any real friends. All of the fake friends I've had were all older than me, and they were mean too. They say they were my friends, but they never were. It was only until recently where Mr. Togata and Mr. Deku saved me, even though I got them and so many others both hurt for trying to save me; that and that Deku showed me that my quirk could be used for good instead of evil that I made new ones" Eri explained; suddenly feel a loss of appetite.

"Mr. Aizawa told me that's why the horn on my head is so small because I more of used my quirk than I'm used to," she said pressing a finger on the tip of the horn on her head.

Kota blinked at her, unable to figure out what to say. What he did know is that he felt a sudden rise of anger within him, mostly at himself for taking heroes like his parents and Deku for granted. He didn't know who this 'Mr. Togata' was, but Kota had a feeling that he was much like Deku.

"I… I'm sorry, Eri," Kota said lamely conjured up, Eri giving him a small smile.

"Thanks, Kota," she said before taking another bite of the candy apple. "So, what about you? How do you know Deku?"

"Huh? How do you know that?"

Eri looked at him straight in the eyes. "Your eyes, they lit up when I said Mr. Deku's name."

"Really?" Kota asked in genuine surprise at how observant she was. "Um… yeah, Deku saved me as well," Kota whispered, Eri now fully absorbed with what Kota had to say. "My parents were heroes. They called themselves the waterhorse duo. I looked up to them more than anyone else. And then, one day, they died. They died protecting people from harm, and I ended up hating heroes."

"My mom's sister, the leader of the Pussycats then took me in soon after, and I began having to live with people whose livelihoods depend on what I hated so much. Then, that class Deku is in came along, and villains attacked the camp. I was up on my secret hiding spot by myself, and a villain showed up- the same one who killed my parents," Kota continued, a small gasp escaping Eri's mouth.

"Then… Deku came to find me and saved me from getting killed by the man who killed my parents; he pretty much destroyed his arms for me. And to think I punched him in the balls when I first met him…"

Watching the boy before him almost break down, Eri grabbed the candy apple wrapper and placed her candy apple gently on top of it. Moving closer to Kota, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into his neck. Kota, meanwhile, was struck with confusion and embarrassment, unsure of what to do, except return the hug. The two soon wriggled out of each other's arms, unfortunately for Kota, while Eri sniffled and wiped away tears in the corners of her eyes.

"I… I'm so sorry Kota, I didn't know…"

"N-no! No, it's okay, you don't need to get upset about it- ah, please don't cry," Kota begged, sighing in relief when the girl snatched up her candy apple and began to munch down on more of it. The duo sat in silence, Kota once again cursing himself out for not letting the conversation flow.

"Kota?"

"Y-yes?!" Kota asked, his voice shooting up an octave, though whether Eri noticed he couldn't tell.

"What did you mean by 'punch him in the balls'?"

Kota's blood suddenly ran cold, racking his brain to try and explain in the most articulated why he could muster.

"I-it means I punched him in the spot between his legs," Kota said with a hint of shame. Kota sat awaiting her response before the girl started to giggle.

"Balls… that's a funny word," Eri mumbled into her hand to suppress her giggles. Clearing her throat, she looked at Kota, trying miserably to look serious. "Did it hurt him?"

"Yeah. It hurt Deku a lot. He eventually forgave me for it, but I still feel guilty about doing it, Kota grumbled, Eri nodding along. "If you meet any boys who try to do weird things to you, just give him a good wack in the sack, so they leave you alone," he added, his tone of voice sounding oddly protective, unbeknownst to him.

"I… I see," Eri said, giggling a little more.

"So… um," Kota began, sifting through ideas of what to say. "What's your favorite number?" he asked aloud, face palming himself in the back of his head.

"My favorite number?"

"Yeah," he affirmed. "Your favorite number. Because I don't know about you but…

"Hmmm… well, I think my favorite number is…

"One Million," both said simultaneously. The two kids turned their heads towards each, eyes locking on almost instantly. "No way. We have the same favorite number!" Kota said dumbstruck, Eri giggling at his comment.

"No, I'm pretty sure we said different numbers," Eri replied, Kota, returning the smile she sent him beforehand.

"Right, I'm sure," Kota shot back with the same amount of sarcasm Eri gave Kota just before. "But I like One Million. As strange as this sounds, it was the number he yelled out to hype himself up when defeating the villain who tried to hurt me. What about you?"

Eri griped the side of her of her dress, remembering the moments that had lead up to her rescue. "Mr. Togata wants to save One Million people. That's his dream for why he wants to become a hero, something that I… I think I took away from him because of my quirk," Eri admitted, somehow souring the mood even more.

"You know, I don't know how to count that well," Eri admitted with an embarrassed blush on her face. "I had to learn on my own for so long, so it was really hard to know what I was doing. After I reach twenty, I start jumping all over the place. So, as silly as this may sound, I'd like to be able to count to 1 Million properly, one day," Eri said with a cheerful smile.

Kota frowned, trying to imagine and piece together the life she had lived before Deku and Togata had saved her. It was hard to imagine it being anything but hell. Clearing his throat, Kota closed his eyes and activated his quirk. Watching the water, he created in his hand slowly spin, he carefully pushed it towards her, the small ball of water touching her cheeks. The girl gasped in surprise when it happened, but quickly recovered looking between the small ball of water and Kota in curiosity.

"This is my quirk, by the way. It allows me to create and move water around. Your face was so red that it looked like it was going to light on fire."

Eri touched both cheeks with her free hand, confirming what Kota had said. Looking back at the water, she tilted her head as she followed the water moving around in the air, giggling as the water danced around her hands and arms. Kota was surprised at how in control he was with his quirk with her around, something about being with her made him happy.

"One day…" Kota began, locking eyes with Eri. "One day, I'm going to help you. I'm going to count to One Million with you, and maybe… maybe we can save One Million people, just like that Togata guy as well," Kota announced to the girl before him, trying his best to hide his embarrassment at the sudden proclamation.

Eri looked down, somehow both happier and saddened by what he said. "Thank you, Kota, but I… I… I don't think I can do that. Save One Million people. Not after getting so many people hurt on my own," Eri said, remembering Togata's smile as he got shot by the quirk erasing bullet, his desperate battle against Overhaul. Memories of Deku going so far as to push his body to his limits, destroying it and repairing it with her own over and over to make sure she remained out of the clutches of Overhaul himself.

"My quirk… it's hurt too many people already. I don't want to let it do any more to hurt people."

Kota shook his head, immediately releasing control over his quirk, water splashing on the ground around them. "No. It wasn't your fault; you couldn't do anything about that. Besides, you said before that Deku showed you how to use it for good and not evil, remember? I don't know what your quirk does, but all I know is that it's super strong. If your quirk is so strong that there are people out there that don't want you to live like a normal kid, then that means you have a power that can change people's lives for the better," Kota said, pulling her up to her feet, Eri yelping in surprise and dropping her candy apple.

"Look at me, Eri," Kota said, holding both her hands within his own, ignoring how embarrassed he was. "One Million people. W-we can become heroes, and we can continue on Mr. Togata's dream for him! You don't have to become a hero that fights. You can become a hero that saves, like a doctor! We'll become the greatest heroes in the world, and then we can save One Million people together!" Kota exclaimed, Eri's eyes beginning to water again.

"Because, if I can't save you from your self-doubts, then how on earth can I become a hero that can save everyone?!"

Eri was speechless. The proclamation that Deku made to Chisaki and the one Kota had made to Eri was so eerily similar; she felt a few tears roll down her face. "But… my quirk, it's a curse. All those heroes all got put in harm's way because they tried to save me. H-how can I live with that? This horn on my head, it will always remind me of the pain I've caused" she began to panic, shaking from the familiar feeling of fear that began to settle within her, a fear she thought had left her only the day before. Kota sighed, releasing one of her hands, allowing his free one to push a strand of hair out of her face.

"Eri."

The girl looked up slowly, watching Kota softly running his hand over the small horn on her head. "You feel this? This little horn? Your quirk? All the pain and suffering you think you have caused?" Kota asked her, recalling what his aunt Mandalay had said to him shortly after the attack on the camp.

" _It's not your fault. None of it is."_

"Eri. It's not your fault. None of it is."

Eri refused to look up. "Kota… I…"

 _"Kota, look at me," Mandalay calmly spoke to Kota. "It's not your fault."_

"Eri. Look at me," he said, send a shiver down her spine. He'd never sounded so serious, even while discussing his past, so what suddenly happened? "It's not your fault."

Eri looked up a little but refused to make eye contact. "Y-yeah, you're right. I know that now…"

 _"No, Kota, you don't. Listen to me. It's. Not. Your Fault."_

"Don't lie to me Eri. Listen to me. It's. Not. Your. Fault."

Eri looked up a little more this time and made eye contact with Kota. "No, Kota, I understand, I know…"

 _"It's not your fault."_

"It's not your fault, okay?" Kota said again.

"Alright, I get it, Kota, you can let me go now…"

"It's not your fault," Kota repeated as his Aunt Mandalay had done for him.

Eri had suddenly gone deathly silent. Kota feared he'd messed up but pressed on.

"It's not your fault."

Eri began to sniffle a little. "Don't… Kota, please don't do this…"

" _Aunt Shino, just please leave me alone…"_

Kota gulped, noticing her hands had balled into fists and her knees were starting to shake.

"It's not your-"

" _DON'T FUCK WITH ME DAMMIT" Kota roared at Mandalay._

Eri suddenly pushed Kota away, her fists slamming into Kota's shoulders and her legs just narrowly missing a successful strike between his legs as he fell to the ground. She was significantly stronger than he gave her credit for.

"Don't…. just please stop, not you Kota!" she let out a shrill scream, garnering the attention of the students within the Class 3 dormitories. Kota scrambled to his feet and approached her again, Eri finding her back pressed against the wall as Kota approached her.

" _Kota… I'm so sorry… but please remember, it's not your fault."_

"Eri. I'm not sorry for what I've said. I know because if I can change you can too! If I had been saved, then I know you can too! I believe in you, Eri, because I know that whatever happened it's not your fault…"

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. An endless stream of tears burst out of her eyes, Eri racing up to Kota and throwing her arms around him ignoring the fact his shirt was slowly starting to stain with tears.

"Oh god… I'm so sorry!" Eri wailed her crying echoing throughout the night. "Deku, Togata, Kota, everyone… I'm so sorry!"

Kota and Eri stood in place for what seemed like forever, ignoring the small crowd of familiar Class one and three students, and their caretakers gathering around as the two children comforted each other.

"Fuck what people say about you are causing people to get hurt," Kota mumbled in a low voice, so only she could hear him. "Fuck all of them. Your quirk is not a curse. _You_ are not a curse. Never forget that."

"Never," Eri vowed. 

* * *

Later that night, when things had begun to calm down, the Pussycats said their goodbyes to Class A, Kota making sure to say his proper goodbyes to Kota.

"Hey, I don't know what you did, but… thanks for making Eri happy. Even after all we did, I didn't think there'd be some… lingering feelings."

Kota shrugged and looked away from his idol, face flushed from the praise. "Eh… it was nothing, I guess."

"Kota! We're going!" Mandalay called out to him, Kota turning his back on Midoriya.

"Just a sec!"

Kota looked back to Kota and rubbed his arm. "Well… I guess I'll see you soon, then?" Kota asked extending a hand towards Midoriya, who graciously gripped it and shook his hand. "Yeah! See you soon, Kota!"

Hesitantly turning his back on his idol, Kota dashed out the door to meet with the rest of the Pussycats. As the group made their way out to the front gate, a familiar voice echoed throughout their vicinity of the campus.

"Koucchan!" The group stopped when the voice reached their ears, turning around to see that the source of the voice was none other than Eri herself. Kota's eyes bulged out of his head when he realized what she had said.

"W-what did you say?"

Eri stood in front of him and blinked. "Koucchan. It's a nickname. Mr. Togata- Mirio, said that friends could call each other by nicknames."

"I'm your friend?" Kota asked with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"I think you are… are we not friends?" Eri asked, her face dropping ever so slightly.

"No! No, no, we are friends, Eri!" Kota sputtered out, her face lighting up again.

"So, is it okay if I call you Koucchan? As a nickname?"

Kota's face went red, knowing the smirks that were on the faces of the Pussycats behind him. "Yeah, sure. I think I'll stick to calling you Eri, though. Kind of hard to think of a nickname of name that's already short, right?"

Eri nodded with a smile. "H-hey, Koucchan?"

"Um… yes, Eri?" he said, still trying to process what just happened.

"I've decided that when I'm older, I'm going to be a hero. I'm going to be the world's greatest doctor, so I can support you becoming the world's greatest hero," Eri declared, holding out her pinky. "Let's make a promise. We'll become heroes together and save a million people!"

Kota glanced at her pinky and quickly shot out his own to wrap around hers. "Alright. It's a promise."

"Yay!" she cheered. "Oh, and Koucchan?"

Looking up, she noticed something about Kota's hat. "Hey Kota, look! She said pointing between his hat and her head. "We're matching!" she grinned, Kota broke eye contact almost immediately.

"Y-yeah, I guess you're right…"

Without warning, Eri took a rushed step towards Kota "Huh? Eri? What are you…"

Chu!

Kota suddenly felt his heart stop, sharp gasps emanating from behind him and Eri. Eri stepped back, her face burning red to the point of her face glowing like a beacon, much like his own.

"Thank you," she said before quickly turning around.

"W-wait, Eri!" Kota called out.

The girl stopped in place before turning around. "Your hair. It's different. It's out."

Eri stroked her hair in thought. "Yeah, it is. Do you like them when Nejire does them into pigtails?"

Kota nodded silently, Eri studying his face before waving at him. "I'll keep that in mind. I'll see you soon, Koucchan!"

Kota watched as Eri ran back to Aizawa and U.A's top 3. Kota turned back around, only to meet the knowing smirks of the Pussycats.

"So… Koucchan, huh?" Ryuko grinned.

"AH! I'm so happy for you and your little girlfriend, Kota!" Tomoko Shiretoko, AKA Ragdoll exclaimed, giddy with excitement.

"Sh-shut up! She's not my girlfriend!" Kota screeched in embarrassment, using his hat to hide his face from the group, pressing a hand to the right side of his face, where Eri had kissed him.

"Ah, to think that you're growing up so quickly," Yawara sighed.

Shino rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't worry, we believe you, Kota," she said with an edge of sarcasm.

"Stop lying, dammit!" Kota exclaimed, balling his fists, before suddenly remembering something. Turning back around, he spotted Eri, still standing with her caretakers off in the distance.

"Hey, Eri!" Kota exclaimed. The girl turned back around and waved at him, Aizawa and U.A's top 3 following her gaze. "Don't forget what I told you, dammit!"

Eri blinked in confusion before realizing what he meant, rapidly nodding her head. "Remember, it's not-"

"You mean like this Koucchan?!" Eri exclaimed, balling a fist and aiming a punch between Mirio's legs, the sudden contact causing the boy to crumple to the ground. Tamaki and Nejire leaped to assist the poor blond with a second thought.

"…your fault…" Kota finished, watching on in shock as he recalled what he said to Eri.

" _If you meet any boys who try to do weird things to you, just give him a good wack in the sack, so they leave you alone!"_

"Just give them a good wack in the sack, right?!" Eri exclaimed, earning more shocked expressions from the Top 3 and the Pussycats, while Aizawa expression turned from one of mild surprise to annoyance. A shiver ran down Kota's spine when he made eye contact with Aizawa, something he'd feel a lot more as he and Eri both got older.

"Um… yeah sure! You did a good job Eri, see ya!" Kota said, dashing ahead of the Pussycats to the front gate.

"Bye Koucchan!" she exclaimed waving goodbye.

Aizawa sighed as he lead Eri away to her living quarters at U.A. "Hopefully that's the last I see of him for a while, especially if he's going to be teaching Eri to do obscene things like that."

Even as ten years passed, fate would refuse to be kind to Aizawa, who was not exactly thrilled upon hearing his adopted daughter had reciprocated feelings for Kota beyond simple friendship. Conversely, Eri's adoptive mother, a certain Emi Fukukado AKA Ms. Joke was beyond ecstatic.

But that's a story for another time.

* * *

For those who are wondering, yes, I did basically lift that one part from Good Will Hunting. I did try to not make it 1 to 1, but since I recently rewatched that movie, and the mood sort of suited a part of the fic, I decided to throw it in. Hopefully it wasn't too much.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed, and have a good one!


End file.
